A writer's workbook : daily exercises for the writing life

Format:

Book

Title:

A writer's workbook : daily exercises for the writing life

Author:

Sharp, Caroline (Caroline Mary)

ISBN:

9780312242725

9780312286217

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York : St. Martin's Press, 2000.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 144 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

"A wise and funny friend who will cheerlead you through even your darkest can't-write days and "every idea I've ever had is awful" nights, Caroline Sharp provides daily exercises, encouraging suggestions, hilarious observations, and an amazingly vivid catalog of writers' neuroses (with advice on overcoming them, of course)." "From "Roget's Resume"' and "Emulating Ernest" to "End Well," "The Rewrite Rut," and "Dear John," the exercises in this generous, wry workbook will keep your ideas fresh, your mind open, and your pen moving."--Jacket.

Subject(s):

Authorship -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Authorship -- Problems, exercises, etc.

Genre:

exercise books.

Handbooks and manuals

Problems and exercises

Problems and exercises.

Added Author:

Gilbert, Elizabeth, 1969-

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	808.02 Sharp 2000	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Aspiring doctors have medical school. Karate students have belts of different colors. Pianists have scales and arpeggios. But what system do writers have for getting and staying "in shape," to help them focus, practice, and make progress?

A Writer's Workbook is Caroline Sharp's ingenious collection of exercises to inspire, encourage, warm up, and jump-start anyone who writes. A wise and funny friend who will cheerlead you through even your darkest can't-write days and "every idea I've ever had is awful" nights, she provides encouraging suggestions, hilarious observations, and an amazingly vivid catalogue of writers' neuroses (with advice on overcoming them, of course).

From "Roget's Resume" and "Emulating Ernest" to "End Well," "The Rewrite Rut," and "Dear John," the exercises in this generous, wry workbook will keep your ideas fresh, your mind open, and your pen moving.

Author Notes

Caroline Sharp has a degree in psychology from Princeton University, an MFA from Columbia University, and is a graduate of the Writer's Boot Camp. The mother of two, she lives and writes in New York City.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Foreword	p. xv
Introduction	p. xix
How to Use This Workbook: A Few Suggestions	p. xxi
Obstacle Pages, or...Reasons Why You Just Can't Write--Today	p. xxv
Warm-Ups	p. 1
Warm-up, Stretch, and Extend	p. 3
One-liners: A Quick Warm-up Exercise	p. 5
Stop 'n' Shop	p. 8
Roget's Resume	p. 11
The Exercises	p. 13
Obstacle Page: What If You Don't Like Being Alone? or Writing in the Company of Strangers	p. 15
Step One: Your Journal Pages	p. 17
Reviews: What Do You Think?	p. 21
Character, Character, on the Wall	p. 24
Picture This	p. 28
Finish the Thought	p. 33
Conversation Observation	p. 37
Obstacle Page: Fear of Failure/Fear of Success, or "Fish of the Day"	p. 40
Emulating Ernest	p. 42
Your "Idea Book": A Lifetime Commitment	p. 45
To Outline or Not to Outline?	p. 49
Where Have You Gone?	p. 52
Don't Know Much Geography...But I Should!	p. 56
A Small Snack	p. 59
If Breakfast Be the Meal of Love	p. 62
Obstacle Page: Dyslexia and Other Physical Obstacles, or The Pen Is Mightier Than the Problem	p. 66
Your Daily Grind	p. 68
A Day in the Life	p. 71
The Time of Their Lives	p. 75
The Wrong Date and Time	p. 78
Objects of Desire	p. 81
Reuse, Rethink, Recycle	p. 84
Obstacle Page: Writer's Block, or Surviving a Big Chill	p. 87
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain	p. 89
Triple Dare/Triple Scare, or How Low Will You Go?	p. 93
The Wrong Brother	p. 97
Plot, Plot, Fizz, Fizz	p. 101
X Marks the Spot	p. 104
Obstacle Page: The Rewrite Rut, or "My Name's Russell and I'm a Perfectionist"	p. 107
The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of	p. 109
End Well	p. 113
Lost and Found	p. 117
Bad Appetites	p. 120
Obstacle Page: The Committee, or Bad Guys: 65/Good Guys: 1	p. 124
"Dear John..."	p. 127
7-Up	p. 131
One Last Thought	p. 133
Appendix Basic Etiquette for Reading and Responding to Your Peers' Work, or Miss Manners Comes to Your Writing Group	p. 135
Bibliography	p. 139
About the Author	p. 145

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents